I was having some fun with these new Valuation Sites showing up on the Internet... Wifey and I saw some homes in North Carolina on 1/2 acre plots...and there must have been some mistake...they were 50-80k!!!! Being from California and currently living in Colorado, we just could not believe what one can get with such a small amount of money... I have noted there are a few traders from North Carolina over the years... I looked at the Charlotte area ...how is the weather? Are there Hurricanes? Is there a lot of Snow? Flooding, Traffic, Crime? Prop Taxes? When you buy something there, does it take years to sell it when you want out? Any information would be appreciated... Michael B.
Weather is perfect - 4 seasons, none of them extreme. Usually snows once or twice a year - and stays on the ground for a day or two at the most. Hasn't snowed at all this year. No flooding. Traffic is somewhat bad. Crime is not bad. Property taxes aren't bad. Homes are easy to sell as people are moving into this area by the boatload. Overall, a great place to live - have been here since I was 5 years old.
Mr Savant, I too live in Colorado, SE Denver Metro. If you want heat and humidity and thunderstorms move to Charolette. My buddy moved there for 2 years and couldn't stand it. He moved back to So Cal, even with the high cost of living. I have been in Denver for 2 years and it's pretty nice, although if you live in Douglas County as I do the property taxes are getting ridiculous. If you want to compare demographics on cities go to bestplaces.net. A bit dated on a few items, but still the best I have seen. Also I believe, there state income taxes are higher in NC than CO, but you can check that for yourself. Good luck, Dan
Haven't lived in NC but very close to there in VA and TN and have visited there a lot. The East coast is more humid than the west, but winters are very mild in NC. Hurricanes are not a big problem inland as far as Charlotte, though occassionally you get some pretty strong wind off of one. If you like some snow and mountains, you might like Asheville. My sister lived in a small town off of I-95 and went through a pretty severe flood back in the late 90's. Eastern NC is flat for quite a ways inland. I guess it just depends on what you desire out of life and what culture you are used to. I prefer smaller cities, low-crime areas and a good environment to raise my family. To some that would just be too boring. I've known some people to move to the South from CA and think it too much of a change and others who think they've been freed and would never go back to CA. But most all of them bought the first house they looked at thinking they had to snatch that bargain up before someone else did. Be sure and consider how far you live from family if they all live on the west coast.
I grew up in Greensboro, went to school in Raleigh, and I have been in Charlotte for 7 years now. Weather: Mild winters, little snow, occasional ice storms which really suck. The summer has one forecast from June to late September.... hot, chance of rain...thunderstorm between 5pm and 6pm, almost everyday. Weather in SoCal is much better, but overall it is pretty nice here. Charlotte is a cool town, I lived in downtown for 4 years which was great, lots of restaurants/bars and fun stuff to do. Then I got married, had a kid, now live in the burbs, which is nice too. Other cool thing is the mountains are only a couple hour drive, and the beach is only 3 hours away. Makes for good road trip material. Oh yea, air quality is the suck here. Allergies can get out of control... my wife hates that. Best of luck...
Luke makes a good point. My ex was born and raised in Raleigh. I'm a Californian but we lived in NYC. When we spent vacations with her family it was quite a difference in cultures. I found the south much more laid back but a bit "clubby". Family names carry weight there. They are very polite but you could move there and always feel like an outsider in certain circles. My ex's grandfather was a prominent North Carolinean so maybe it was more the circles I happened to be exposed to. TIFWIW...